


Advice

by AngelofDarkness1605



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-03
Updated: 2017-01-03
Packaged: 2018-09-14 13:09:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,221
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9183130
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AngelofDarkness1605/pseuds/AngelofDarkness1605
Summary: Belle goes to Ruby for a question of a very personal nature and reveals more about her relationship with Rumplestiltskin than she intended to in the process.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Many thanks to Inkfire for the wonderful beta work.

"Can I talk to you for a moment?"

"Sure," Ruby says, turning away from the counter of the diner to face Belle.

"Somewhere in private?"

"Is everything alright?" the waitress asks, casting a distrustful glance at Gold while she leads Belle to the kitchen. The former Dark One is sitting in a quiet corner of the diner, not taking his eyes off his girlfriend. Ruby wouldn't be surprised if he stared at the door which she firmly closes behind them until Belle came out again.

"Yes, everything is well. There is just something I'd like to talk to you about. I... I am in need of some advice."

The casual invitation to ask whatever she wants dies on Ruby's lips at the look on the other woman's face. She doesn't need her greatly improved senses to notice that Belle is clearly nervous and uncomfortable.

"It's Gold, isn't it?" she hisses, stepping protectively between her friend and the door that's currently the only separation between Belle and her infamous boyfriend, if such a term can be used to refer to the most dangerous and feared man in a variety of realms. "Does he mistreat you? Does he hurt you? You can tell me, Belle. Granny and I will protect you from..."

"I don't need to be protected," Belle says quickly, interrupting her. "He doesn't hurt me. I really appreciate your help, but it's not needed. Not like this, at least."

"Then what is it?"

"Well, it _is_ about Rumple. Or rather, about me and Rumple."

Belle seems only more uncomfortable, but she doesn't look as tense as before. Neither is she upset like Ruby suspects she would be if Gold did indeed mistreat her. Taking a subtle sniff, Ruby can smell no fear on her friend either. It leads her to believe that Belle is indeed in no immediate danger from the man she lives with.

"Okay, let's hear it."

"The advice I need is of an... intimate nature."

There is no mistaking the blush on Belle's face. Ruby bursts out laughing in sudden relief, over both her friend's well-being and her thoroughly embarrassed expression.

"You need sex advice?!"

"Yes," Belle replies, her cheeks reddening further.

"You should have said that straight away," Ruby says, wiping a tear of mirth from her eye. "Here I was thinking that the Dark One was torturing you in the dungeon of his pink palace."

"He isn't the Dark One anymore," Belle says quietly, before smiling a little. "And don't _ever_ call our home 'pink' to his face if you value your life."

Ruby sobers too, if momentarily. Just like basically anyone who had remained in Storybrooke, she was there when the Jolly Roger returned from Neverland, with Henry safely aboard. Rumplestiltskin had all but died to save him, only Belle's kiss bringing him back to life—but without magic or any of the Dark One's powers.

"How would you describe that awful color then?" Ruby asks conspiratorially, wanting to keep that smile on her friend's face.

" _Pink_ ," Belle says wickedly and without a moment of doubt, her eyes glistening.

Ruby is smiling again too, her earlier fear for her friend replaced by pride. Belle may seem fragile and vulnerable, but there's a considerable strength inside of her that surfaces when necessary. If there's anyone who can stand up to Rumplestiltskin, with or without his magic, it's her.

"Come on then," Ruby says, recalling that Belle didn't come here to discuss the color of her home. "What do you want to know?"

"First I'd like to be sure that you're all right with talking about this," Belle says, gesturing between them. "It's still strange for me that such things are discussed so openly in this world, and I want to be sure that it's not a problem with you."

"The only problem I have with this is that it involves _Rumplestiltskin._ I don't want to think about him, especially not in this context," Ruby replies, winking at her. "But you're my friend, so I'm sure I'll recover from the trauma of it. Eventually."

"Thanks, Ruby. I really appreciate this. I couldn't find any... useful books on the subject and I didn't know who else to talk to."

"That's the benefit of having a friend who spent twenty-eight years sleeping around, I suppose," she says, incapable of keeping some bitterness out of her voice.

"That's not what I meant," Belle cries out, grasping the other woman's hands. "I didn't know who else to talk to whom I _trust_ like I do you."

"Wow, Belle, that's..."

Ruby has no idea what to say to that. The tears that well in her eyes this time have nothing to do with hilarity.

"Maybe we can sit down?" Belle suggests gently, withdrawing her hands after giving hers an encouraging squeeze. "If you have time for that, I mean. It was quiet in the diner, but I know how hard you are working here all day."

"Of course we can," Ruby says, grateful for the change of subject, if only because it'll take her quite some time to get used to the apparent fact that someone thinks as highly of her as Belle does. "Granny just said the other day that that man of yours has been almost... civil since he is with you. Both of us will be delighted if anything that might come out of this keeps it that way. See this as... an investment."

Due to the lack of chairs in the kitchen, Ruby hops on one of the by now mostly empty counters and urges her still smiling friend to do the same.

"Okay, spill it," she says once they are seated. "I've got to say you got me very curious."

"All right," Belle says, taking a deep breath as her cheeks flush again. "What I'm wondering about... The difficulty I'm having is that Rumple and I... or rather, what I'd _like_ for us to..."

It pains Ruby to see her friend struggle like this, but she forces herself not to say anything and to let Belle find a way of her own to ask what she wants to.

"The problem is that Rumple and I... well, it's not really a _problem_ , but I'd like to know how we can... or rather, how _I can_..."

Belle buries her face in her hands, sighing in frustration.

"I'm sorry, Ruby. I'm not used to talking like this."

"You and Gold don't do much talking?" she asks, forcing herself to keep her voice neutral.

"Not about this, no, not really. Most of the time, we just... know."

"But this time you don't, I suppose?"

"Exactly."

It's clear to Ruby that she'll have to come up with something in order to help. Given Belle's difficulty to openly talk about the physical aspects of her relationship with Gold, she'll have to be delicate about it as well.

"Let's try something," Ruby proposes. "How about I make some general guesses? When we were cursed, I learned more about things that can go wrong between people in an... intimate relationship than I ever wanted to. At least that might lead us to the bedroom advice you need."

"It's not just for the bedroom," Belle blurts out.

Ruby opens her mouth to ask what other advice her friend needs, then takes in her spectacularly flushed cheeks and realizes that Belle misunderstood her.

"I see," Ruby replies, trying not to smirk. It's not that she's glad that Belle just accidentally revealed that she and Gold don't limit their activities to their bedroom, quite the opposite. But between Belle being all awkward about this and Gold being... well, _Rumplestiltskin_ , she can't help but be very amused indeed. "Shall I just bring up some potential problems to see if any of them sounds familiar to you? Then we can take it from there."

"That's a good idea," Belle says, relieved. "I'd like to try that."

"Okay, here we go," Ruby replies, wondering where to start. Then again, this probably isn't going to be easy one way or another, so she might as well dive right in. "When you and Gold are... together, does he leave you... physically satisfied?"

"Yes!" Belle says immediately and without doubt, looking at Ruby as if she were surprised by the apparent possibility that a woman can be left unsatisfied by her lover. "We have no problems with that, at all."

"That's good," Ruby says encouragingly, referring both to the other woman's openness and the problem that they can dismiss now. Having been left wanting and aching by a partner more often than she cares to remember, she isn't quite sure what to do with the discovery that Gold is not one of those men. _Lucky girl._

Then again, he used to have all sorts of magic at his disposal. At least until a few weeks ago. Ruby brightens, suspecting that the problem that Belle wants to discuss is related to the changes that Gold has gone through since he returned from Neverland and his curse was broken. In a way, she supposes that Gold has only then become fully human.

"And what about emotionally? Is he kind to you? Does he compliment you?"

"He never stops," Belle replies happily.

"That's good too," Ruby says, though she can't really picture the ever aloof and cold Gold doing anything quite like that. "Maybe the problem you're having is more physical. Does he come too quickly?"

Belle gasps, looking scandalized.

"It's a problem that occurs with a lot of men at one point or another," Ruby says, trying to make it sound as if she wasn't openly questioning the prowess of Belle's lover. "Hell, I could point out at least three of those men in the diner at lunch rush tomorrow."

"That's not necessary," Belle says, all but squirming at this point.

"Is that a problem for the two of you?" Ruby asks kindly. She really doesn't want to think about Gold like this, but she soldiers on for the sake of her friend.

"I'm sorry, Ruby. I just... When I grew up, I was always told that it's wrong to desire a man, that it's a sin to want the things you can do together, especially when you're not married. When it's just Rumple and me it's easy to forget about that, but in any other situation... it takes time to adjust."

"I understand," Ruby says sympathetically, glad that she didn't grow up like Belle in that regard. "Speaking of marriage... do you and Gold have any plans? You've been together for quite a while now, and you have True Love and all that..."

It's a question that Ruby has had for a while and she figures she might as well ask now that the opportunity sort of presents itself.

"We have talked about it, yes," Belle replies, brightening. "We really want to get married. Rumple... well, he didn't propose, not technically, but we know we both want to be officially together."

"Then what's stopping you?" Ruby inquires gently, not understanding why Gold hasn't actually proposed.

"My father," Belle replies, sighing. "We know it's not a requirement here, but both Rumple and I have been raised with the tradition that the groom must have the permission of the bride's father. Especially to him, it's important that my father agrees to the match."

"Oh," Ruby sighs, knowing to at least some extent how troubled the relationship between the couple and Belle's father is. "I'm sorry."

"At least we don't need his permission to be together. Rumple is making a real effort to get on better terms with him. I think he'll propose on the very day he thinks my father isn't opposed to the idea any longer."

"That's sort of... noble, actually," Ruby remarks, getting slightly dreamy at the idea of the ever persistent pursue. "And romantic, too."

"Why do you sound so surprised?" Belle asks, the twinkling in her eyes suggesting that she already knows the answer. "I think he already got a ring. He's been asking me about stones and metals... he probably thinks he is being subtle about it."

Ruby smiles affectionately at the love-struck expression on her friend's face. Belle is unmistakably happy and Ruby is glad for it. She still doesn't have a clue how her friend can want to be with Gold of all people, but there must be something quite worthwhile about him which only she can see. It motivates her only more to help solve the sexual problem which Belle and him have.

"Back to topic, then," Ruby says, trying to sound as matter-of-fact as she can, assuming that it'll be easier for Belle to talk about the subject at hand that way. "You haven't told me whether he lasts long enough yet."

"I wouldn't really know what qualifies as 'long enough'," Belle says, bright color returning to her cheeks. "It doesn't take me longer than it does for him, so... that's good, isn't it? I mean, it _feels_ good."

"That's all that matters," Ruby ensures her. "So you don't think that being with him would be more enjoyable if he lasted longer?"

"No, not at all," Belle says without hesitation.

"Then we can rule that out as well. And I presume then that there's no problem for him to get hard either?"

"No, there isn't," she says, all but spluttering. "Never."

"Even without magic?" Ruby can't help but ask, imagining that Gold must need some... support every once in a while in order to keep Belle as satisfied as she appears to be.

Belle fixes her with a mere stern glance.

"Okay then. Maybe you want to be intimate with him less frequently?"

"No!" Belle cries out, looking horrified.

" _More_ frequently?"

"We wouldn't get anything else done then."

"Wow, Belle," Ruby mutters, "good for you. But that makes this more difficult."

"What do you mean?"

"Because I just can't imagine Gold as the sex god you make him sound like," she replies, realizing then that she'll never be able to look at the infamous former sorcerer in quite the same way. "No, seriously. What I meant is that we have eliminated quite a few things already. But we'll keep trying."

"Thanks, Ruby. I really appreciate that."

"Oh, hang on, I've got another one. Maybe you don't find him as attractive as you used to?"

"Why would that be?" Belle asks, looking mystified even as an appreciative gleam appears in her eyes.

"Well, he did gain some weight recently," Ruby offers delicately. She noticed that Gold's suits don't quite fit him the way they used to. It's not that he eats more, not at the diner at least; Ruby knows all of the orders of their regular customers by heart and Gold's hasn't changed.

"Oh, _that,"_ Belle says pensively. "I'm not sure, but I think it's the whipped cream."

There's something in the way she says it that creates images in Ruby's head that she really doesn't want to be there.

"The _what_?!"

"He likes to have me for desert, in a manner of speaking," Belle mutters, clearly shocked by what she just accidentally revealed but by now no longer embarrassed to the extent that she can't speak of it.

"That must be _a lot_ of whipped cream," Ruby can't help but say out loud, wondering just how much the former Dark One must have of it if he doesn't lose all of those calories immediately with the same activities.

"He likes it all over me. A few times a week."

"You don't like whipped cream?" Ruby asks, casting a meaningful glance at her friend's ever slim waist and trying very much not to mentally linger on what Belle just said.

"I do, although I prefer chocolate sauce," Belle replies, not looking at her friend but not quite blushing as much as she did before. Ruby sees it as a good sign that she is slowly but surely becoming more comfortable with the conversation. "But it gets rather messy when I do it and I'm not all that patient."

"In comparison, Gold sounds... systematic."

Much as Ruby tells herself that she really doesn't want to know these things, she is very much intrigued.

"He can be. At first. He's usually much less focused the second time."

Ruby's ears must be playing tricks on her; surely there's no way Belle's implying that Gold likes to lick her all over... twice in a row. Better not to consider _that_ information too much.

"So you've got no problems with him being a bit... bigger?" Ruby asks, determining that getting back on topic is the best way to move on.

"No, it doesn't bother me. I... I suppose I like it. It's like there's _more_ of him, in a way, you know?"

"I understand," Ruby replies, although she isn't entirely sure whether she does. "Are there any health problems of yours that prevent you from... enjoying one another?"

"No, there aren't."

"Any health problems of his? It would only be natural, given that he is... significantly older than you."

"Not that I know of," Belle replies, contemplative. "I didn't notice anything and he hasn't told me of anything. He would tell me if he wasn't feeling well. Besides, there was that time, quite in the beginning..."

"What happened?"

"I... well, I woke him up with my _mouth_ one morning and he said I was going to kill him one day. He was joking, but just in case I wake him now before..."

Judging from the way Belle pronounces the word 'mouth', she isn't talking about a kiss—or at least not one of a regular kind. Ruby makes a not completely successful attempt to think of anything but Belle's mouth around unmentionable parts of Gold's body.

Really, Gold isn't the only one Ruby will see in a completely different light from now on. It turns out that her perception of her proper, modest librarian friend is in need of some drastic adjustment as well.

"But your problem is something else then," Ruby prods, remembering that there is a particular reason why they are having this conversation to begin with.

"Yes, it is. What we... what we have now is really good, but it's the... _more_ that I have difficulty with."

"More?" Ruby inquires, figuring that her friend isn't referring to the frequency of love-making, since they just ruled that out too. "Oh wait. Is he pressuring you into things? Does he want to do things you're not comfortable with?"

At first, it wouldn't have surprised her at all if Gold wanted more from Belle than she was willing to give. But now that they have been talking for quite a while, Ruby finds it difficult to believe that the seemingly attentive and considerate lover would expect her friend to do any such thing at all.

"He is not like that," Belle says hastily. "Really, I know what a lot of people think, but he truly is kind and careful when he is with me."

"And a lot more than that," Ruby smiles, almost admiring her friend's lover at this point. "I only asked just to be sure. I already presumed he wouldn't pressure you like that."

"You did?"

"Yeah, sure. After everything you've told me... Really, it's a good thing that I'm only now finding out about all this. I hope you don't mind my saying that, but if I had known this when I was still cursed and didn't know you yet... well, I would have gone after him for sure."

"Really?" Belle asks, sounding more surprised than anything else. "You don't even like him."

"True. Then again, ask me again in a few weeks. I need to reconsider everything I thought to know about that man of yours. The way you describe him... never mind his age and his character, he sounds like the perfect lover. You don't have to like someone to enjoy the sex."

"If you say so... although I don't think it would work like that for me."

"It doesn't matter. Everyone is different, after all," Ruby says, wanting to steer the conversation back to its original direction.

"We can dismiss that possibility as well, Ruby. Rumple doesn't force or pressure me. If anything, it's the other way around."

"What do you mean?" Ruby asks, once again intrigued despite herself. Previously, she wouldn't have thought that her petite, soft-spoken friend could coerce anyone or anything, but apparently she was wrong about that as well.

"Sometimes I like to... try things. So does Rumple, but not if he thinks that it might hurt me a little. I can get quite... insistent if I want it anyway. I know he can't bear to refuse me anything and I don't want to take advantage of that, but sometimes he's just too concerned about me."

"Is there anything in particular you want to persuade him to do?"

Ruby doesn't know whether this is related to the problem that Gold and Belle actually have, but she might be able to help her friend with this at least.

"Candle wax," Belle says quietly, her gaze pointedly focused on her feet. "I sometimes spilled some of it on myself in the other world. I quite liked the feel of it, because it slightly hurts, but in a good way. Does that make sense?"

"It definitely does," Ruby agrees, smiling a little as she recalls some of her most adventurous experiences.

"I never really thought about it, but now that Rumple's making me feel so good, so... sensitive, I was wondering what it would feel like if... He was horrified by the idea, but I kept bringing it up and eventually I persuaded him... but it didn't end well."

"What went wrong?"

"It was clear that he didn't really want to, that he only did it because I asked him. He was nervous and soon after we got started, he couldn't go through with it. What he did do felt good, but at the same time it didn't at all, because he wasn't comfortable with it."

"And now you feel bad for having insisted... and also for not getting what you hoped for," Ruby concludes. "Because you would have enjoyed it if Gold had liked it too."

"Precisely," Belle says, looking decisively unhappy.

"You might be able to make it work though."

At this point, Ruby isn't surprised that she's actively thinking of a way to solve at least this intimate problem between one of her best friends and the man she used to loathe so very much. Hearing of this new and very personal side of Gold, Ruby is convinced that Belle isn't manipulated or simply delusional after all whenever she insists that there's good in the still much-feared man.

"I am?" Belle asks hopefully, her eyes brightening.

"Have you tried dripping the wax on him too?"

The other woman shakes her head in denial and Ruby's enthusiasm grows now that she has found a way to provide her friend with some useful advice after all. It might not be what Belle was initially looking for, not yet at least, but she's more and more thrilled to help the other woman in any way she can.

"He thinks that he might hurt you, right? So you have to show him that he doesn't have to be afraid of that. If you do it to him first, you can prove that there's no harm in it. He'll probably only enjoy it and end up being more than happy to try it properly with you as well."

"That's a good idea," Belle breathes, getting that absent-minded look in her eyes which indicates that she's deep in thought. "A really good idea."

The thoughtful expression quickly turns into a decidedly lustful one and Ruby pointedly clears her throat, chuckling a little at her friend's obvious eagerness.

"But that's not what you wanted to talk about with me," she says quietly, sensing that they may have reached a point where Belle can simply ask her what she's truly struggling with.

"It isn't," Belle sighs, fidgeting with the hem of her dress in an unusual display of nervousness. "I might as well just ask it, don't I?"

Ruby simply nods in response, having run out of ideas herself by now and, more than that, hoping that Belle will be comfortable enough for a more open conversation.

"All right then." Inhaling deeply and almost visibly gathering her courage, Belle looks her straight in the eye when speaking. "I want to know how to seduce Rumple."

For a long moment, Ruby expects that's only the first part of whatever it is that her friend wants to ask her. But then Belle just looks at her expectantly and it takes Ruby a yet longer while to think of something appropriate to say... of anything, really.

"You want advice on how to... seduce your boyfriend," Ruby eventually says, not just because she truly can't think of anything but repeating what Belle just said, but mostly because the question seems to contradict everything her friend has told her so far.

Belle just nods in reply, not making things any clearer for Ruby.

"I... Belle, from what it sounds like, you've been doing nothing _but_ seducing Gold. I mean, after all that you've told me I'm surprised that you managed to stay away from him for this long... and that he hasn't barged in here to drag you back to bed yet. Or take you on this counter, for that matter."

"I suppose I don't mean 'seducing' as such, but... we've never actually _slept together_. But I want to. Very much."

"Wait," Ruby mutters, eyes widening as realization starts to dawn. There's _no way_ that Belle means what she's implying now, but... "Are you telling me that Gold and you haven't..."

Belle nods meekly in confirmation.

"He wouldn't... 'take me' on the counter here, or anywhere else for that matter. That's what I wanted to talk about. Because I want him to but I don't know how to persuade him."

"Let me get this straight," Ruby says, her mind reeling as she tries to connect everything she has learned so far with the question that Belle is finally asking now. Simultaneously, she's very much aware that the two of them are finally having an open conversation now, but that could be over as soon as she makes her still tense friend only slightly more uncomfortable. "You and Gold have been... touching intimately. You've been using your hands and mouths, but he's never actually been inside you?"

The other woman nods again to confirm Ruby's suspicion. Still, it hardly does anything to put an end to her confusion.

"But... everything you told me... How and _why_ are the two of you not actually making love?"

For the life of her, Ruby can't think of any answer to that. Thinking back on their conversation, she is aware that Belle didn't specify just how Gold was making her so very happy and radiant. Based on the intense enjoyment the two of them share, it was simply very easy to presume that he was doing so in the seemingly most obvious way.

"Because he doesn't want to... take me. Well, he _wants_ to... he doesn't say it out loud, but I can tell."

"But why not? Is it because the two of you aren't married yet?"

Ruby suggests the first and only thing she can think of, still unable to wrap her head around it. It's still difficult to understand why Belle and her True Love aren't going all the way together, when they obviously are so very much in love and perfectly comfortable with doing many other things.

Not to mention the apparent fact that her friend has experienced in a relatively short time much more pleasure and enjoyment than Ruby herself ever did, even without taking the final step.

"Seriously, what's _wrong_ with him?!" Ruby asks out loud, unable to hold back as she both admires and despairs at Gold's apparent ability to control himself with his more than willing lover.

"I don't know whether 'wrong' is the word to describe it," Belle says quietly. "We _have_ talked about it, although it's difficult for both of us. I believe that he still thinks I don't truly want to be with him, that I'll 'come to my senses' sooner or later and realize that I'd rather have someone else."

If such a whole new side of Gold hadn't been revealed to her already, Ruby wouldn't have been able to believe that the former Dark One can possibly be this insecure.

"He is convinced that if we really were to... have each other, then I'd come to regret it eventually. It's as if he thought that there'll truly be no way to take all of this back once we actually make love. As if he'd mark me, take something away from me. Something that he doesn't deserve. I just can't persuade him that I want no one but him. No matter what might happen in the future, I can't be sorry for what we did do together."

"Wow, Belle," Ruby says, her shoulders sagging. Whatever she expected when her friend asked her for advice, this certainly wasn't it. She was quite certain that she would be able to answer just about any question about physical intimacy that Belle might have, but she has been proven very wrong indeed.

"So I'm wondering if there's a way that I can get Rumple to make love to me."

Belle gives her a quivering smile along with the question they have been dancing around for quite some time now. Glad as Ruby is that her friend has become comfortable enough to openly ask it after all, it won't do them much good now that she can't think of anything to say to assist her.

"I wish I could help you, and Gold as well. But I don't think I can. I don't know much about these things. I mean, if _you_ haven't figured it out, I'm afraid that I won't be able to think of something useful."

It's ironic, really. Before they started to talk, she was reluctant to help Belle due to the identity of her partner. She started the conversation for the sake of her friend, if only to inform her that she should be free to reject whatever unpleasant demands Gold doubtlessly had in store for her.

But now Ruby has learned of the depth and genuineness of the love between Belle and her truly True Love, and sincerely wants to help them... only to find that she can't offer any of the advice her friend is looking for.

"I'm sure you can help," Belle says, taking her hand and squeezing it encouragingly. "Two people always know more than one. Besides, you helped me already by making it possible for me to talk like this in the first place."

Her friend's smile is small but sincere, her ever so blue eyes friendly and supportive. This time, Ruby is the one to lower her gaze, suddenly feeling small and inexperienced compared to the other woman.

"What is it?" Belle asks, so very aware of the people around her as always. It only makes it more difficult for Ruby not to feel inferior, to fight the increasing belief that people are right when they talk about her—or rather, the length and nature of her relationships—the way they do. "Did I say something wrong?"

"No, not at all," she hastily says, "I was just..."

One cautious glance at her friend's gentle and ever so understanding expression makes it yet clearer that she might as well share what's bothering her.

"I've never had anything like what you and Gold have. The men I've been with... well, there aren't as many as people say, but still quite a lot. But none of them... they didn't really care about me. Let's just say that if it weren't for what you just told me about Gold, I wouldn't have believed that some men are actually willing to wait, or to think of more than what feels best for them."

"I'm so sorry," Belle says, rubbing her back comfortingly.

"You don't have to... it's not..." Ruby struggles for words to make her understand. "The things I did... nothing happened that I wasn't comfortable with at the time. But I was cursed back then and it was like upsetting Granny was the only purpose of my life. Now the curse is broken, but people still think of me as _that_ girl. Besides, I'm a _werewolf_ , so even if a decent guy took an interest in me, there's no chance that..."

"Don't talk like that," Belle interrupts her, decisiveness mixing with gentleness. "Some people may think these things about you, but that says more about them than it does about you. You're a wonderful person, they're not worthy of you. You may be a werewolf, but that's all under control now that you got your cloak back."

Ruby sniffles a little, by now more emotional because of what her friend is telling her than because of the unlikelihood of her becoming nearly as happy as Belle is.

"With everything you know about Rumple and me... Nothing is impossible. You may find the most amazing things while not looking for them, or not even knowing that you could want them."

Ruby nods in acknowledgment. She doesn't actually believe that she'll find True Love; that's for queens and princesses, for extraordinary people, not for peasants who turn into a wolf every month. But she does agree that one might find the most beautiful things in life unexpectedly, that the future might hold something worthwhile even for her.

"Besides, people are saying the nastiest things about Rumple and me. It doesn't take away from our love in the slightest. When we fell in love in the Enchanted Forest, he still looked like the Dark One. He referred to himself as a monster and was convinced that no one could ever love him. Yet here we are."

Ruby sighs a little, beginning to wonder despite herself whether something like this might be possible for her as well after all. Indeed, if the _Dark One_ can find True Love, anything might be possible.

"The most wonderful thing, perhaps, is that you don't even have to believe. Sometimes, happiness just finds you."

She is about to thank Belle for being so supportive and encouraging, especially now that her friend has something much more important to worry about. But instead of changing the topic back to Gold, Belle looks thoughtfully at her, clearly not having said everything she wanted yet.

"I didn't intend to bring it up just for the moment. I'm not entirely sure yet and I hoped that you would find out on your own, or that he would say something himself, but..."

Her friend's smile is a delighted if mischievous one, and Ruby tries to understand what she's saying. Surely Belle isn't implying that there's someone out there already, someone _nice_ , with whom she might share the sort of love that her friend has found.

"I have the feeling that the two of you can use some help."

"What is it?" Ruby asks, all but bouncing on the counter she's sitting on in her impatience and excitement. "Are you saying that there's someone who might... like me that way?"

"You should try talking to Archie," Belle replies, smiling broadly.

"That... that's not funny," Ruby says, her own smile fading as quickly as it appeared. "Not at all."

Ruby lowers her gaze, unable to stand looking at the woman next to her. Surely Belle didn't mean to upset her, but she's definitely hurt by her joke.

"It's not supposed to be funny," Belle replies, sounding confused. "Granted, I'm not entirely certain yet, but Rumple noticed too and..."

"Belle," she says curtly, taking a deep breath. "I'm not _desperate._ It's not so bad that I have to talk with a _psychiatrist_ about my love life, or lack thereof!"

"I didn't..." Belle splutters, horrified. "I didn't mean _professionally_."

"What are you saying?" Ruby asks, struggling for understanding. Surely Belle isn't suggesting that _Dr. Hopper_ is interested in her?

She doesn't know much about the psychiatrist, except that he is too shy to say more than three words to anyone, let alone to her, but that he has always been kind to her.

" _Archie_?" Ruby cries out in disbelief. "How is it even possible that he likes _me_? He's about the only guy who never stared at my chest! Well, Gold didn't either, but at least I know that Archie is entirely human in this world."

"Have you seen the way he looks at you?! The way he smiles whenever he sees you? I think he likes you _very_ much, Ruby. It wouldn't hurt to find out, would it?"

"But... what do you mean, the way he looks at me? Archie never..."

"I wasn't sure myself, but Rumple noticed it too. _I_ might be biased, but he isn't."

"How did he even notice in the first place?" Ruby grumbles, still not convinced of what her friend is telling her. "He's got eyes for no one and nothing but you."

"I suppose that's true. But Rumple thought Archie was looking at _me_ , actually. Yet it turned out that he still looked at you like that whenever I wasn't standing next to you."

" _Oh._ "

It's all Ruby can say to that, the argument Belle just made suddenly becoming a lot more convincing.

"But... he's never really said anything to me!"

"Neither did Rumple in the first few months," Belle says knowingly. "He needed some encouragement as well. Quite a lot of it, in fact. But here we are."

"That's... Archie and me... Belle, I don't know what to say."

It's a lot to take in indeed. Archie is _so_ not her type, all gentlemanly and awkward, mature and so very, very gentle and understanding...

"It's perfect _,"_ Ruby breathes, realizing that Archie might be exactly what she's been looking for, without knowing it... and that as it seems, he's just as willing to try as she is. "But what should I _do?"_

Usually, seducing comes as easily to her as breathing. But Ruby has got the feeling that shaking hips, innuendos and meaningful glances aren't going to get her anywhere with the almost painfully shy psychiatrist.

"Why don't you just spend a little more time with him, talk to him, and see how it goes from there?"

"Sounds like a good idea," Ruby says, brightening.

"It seems strange, doesn't it, that we basically have to tie up the men we want to be with to make them see how much we want them?"

Ruby's eyes widen in inspiration at her friend's casual remark.

"What?" Belle asks, clearly not thinking along the same lines.

"That's _it_ , Belle! You have to tie him up!"

"What are you talking about?!"

"Gold! You tie him up when the two of you are together, tell him how much you want to make love with him. He'll have no choice but to listen to you, and you can also... encourage him if necessary!"

"That's _perfect_ ," Belle breathes, beaming. "That's all I need, just a moment to let him see how much I want to be with him, to make him _feel_ , while he can't close himself off to me. He tends to turn away from me, or to go somewhere where he can't hear me, but this way..."

She stares past Ruby with unseeing eyes, a smile on her lips. It wouldn't surprise her if Belle was already inwardly figuring out just how to tie the ropes.

"I release him as soon as I've made my point, when we've finally actually talked about it. Then it's up to him."

"I'm quite sure he'll be _up for it_ by then," Ruby can't help but snicker.

"Let's hope so," Belle says quietly. "But at least he'll have heard me out. It's his choice too, after all. If he knows why I want to, but he still doesn't share that wish... well, we'll have to find a different way."

"Let's hope it won't come to that."

"If it does, I know who to turn to for advice."

"Let's focus on this first," Ruby says, changing the topic if only not to get overwhelmed by the sheer joy caused by Belle's faith in her. "Have you thought about what might happen if you persuade him? The two of you are clearly very familiar with each other already, but some things are going to be different if the plan works."

"I know. It's going to be my first time," Belle says, confirming what Ruby already assumed. "But I've given it a lot of thought. And I've read about it. Quite a lot. I know what to expect, and what we should and shouldn't do."

"Good for you," Ruby says, not quite surprised by this either. "But do you think that Gold will just let you tie him up like this? Have you done something like that before?"

"We haven't, but I'm quite certain that he'll let me," Belle says happily. "Just as long as he's the one going to be tied up, not me, and I ask _nicely_..."

There's a rather noticeable amount of color on her cheeks again, a shudder running through her, but Ruby is very sure that it has nothing to do with embarrassment this time.

"You'll need proper rope," Ruby says, already envisioning it all as well, if in a slightly different way. "And maybe something particularly nice to wear."

"I already have a _lot_ of nice clothes to wear," Belle objects, looking at her with confusion. Ruby almost rolls her eyes affectionately at the continued innocence of her friend.

"I don't mean _outer_ clothes," she replies meaningfully.

" _Oh_ ," the other woman says, her blush deepening. "I just wear my regular undergarments, and Rumple likes them well enough. I'm not so sure if... "

"You don't have to, of course not," Ruby replies quickly, "but it could be nice, for both of you. And there are a lot of different... types of such clothes, Belle. There might be ones you like. I've got plenty of brochures at home. You can look through them and if you find something that strikes your fancy, I can just order it for you."

"I think I'd like to look into that."

"Why don't you come by my place tomorrow afternoon? I'm free after the lunch rush. You can take a look at the rope as well, I've got plenty of it even after I threw away all that I'd already used. You can have it."

"Are you certain you won't want to use it anymore in the future?"

Belle raises one speculative eyebrow. This time, Ruby is the one feeling heat rush to her cheeks.

"I can always buy some more if necessary," she mumbles, very flustered indeed at the idea that she and Archie might explore each another in such a fashion one day.

"Of course you can," Belle says mischievously.

"Sounds like you don't need my help anymore," Ruby replies good-naturedly, appreciating even more that Belle must have felt like this throughout the entire conversation, but went straight along with it anyway. "Best get back to that man of yours, before he starts to wonder what you might be up to."

"Can't have that... not yet, anyway," Belle says cheerfully, hopping off the counter.

Ruby follows her friend's example. Just as soon as she has both feet on the ground again, Belle hugs her tightly.

"Thanks so much, Ruby. This means a lot to me."

"You're very welcome. I'm just glad I can help."

"Shall I come by at three tomorrow?"

"Fine with me. Do try to contain yourself in the meantime. Wouldn't want Gold to suspect anything, would you?"

"Indeed not," Belle says happily in response to the other woman's teasing suggestion, withdrawing from Ruby.

When both women make their way from the kitchen back to the diner, there's a spring in Belle's step that definitely wasn't there before.

Ruby spots Mr. Gold right after Belle opens the door that separates the kitchen from the diner. He's sitting right where Belle left him, quite some time ago by now, staring outside. He's clearly lost in thought, maybe even daydreaming, smiling a little. It's obvious whom he's thinking about.

If Ruby didn't know any better, seeing such an expression on Mr. Gold's face would be disturbing indeed.

For the first time, Ruby looks at him, _really_ looks.

Daydreams or not, he immediately turns towards the women as they return to the by now empty diner. As soon as Mr. Gold takes in Belle, his smile widens and his eyes soften further.

"I'm sorry it took so long," Belle says as she makes her way towards him.

He stands up, having eyes for no one and nothing but Belle.

"No matter, sweetheart. I just hope that Miss Lucas could help you with what you were looking for."

"She did," Belle replies, looking over her shoulder to smile at Ruby. "She definitely did."

"I'm glad to hear it," he says, pulling out his wallet to pay for their meals and leave a generous tip.

For a moment, Ruby wonders whether he _knows_ , whether he's aware of the topic of the conversation that she and Belle just had.

But there's nothing that implies so in the way he entwines their fingers when Belle reaches for his hand, in the way he lovingly accepts his cane from her.

All in all, Ruby witnesses for the first time that Mr. Gold isn't necessarily the man who always knows everything about everyone—or at least, not where his True Love is concerned.

Right now, he's simply a man who's glad that the woman he loves had a good conversation with her friend. It doesn't matter to him what they talked about, only that Belle is happy.

"Shall we go home?" Belle suggests softly, also seemingly forgetting about everything and everyone else in the world now that she's once more face to face with the town's most feared man.

"That sounds lovely, sweetheart," he replies, tucking a curl behind her ear.

His hand lingers at Belle's cheek, caressing her with more tenderness than Ruby has ever seen before.

The two of them remain standing like that for a short while, just smiling at one another and all in all looking very, very much like a couple in love.

Indeed, there's a lot more to Belle's True Love than the impish Rumpelstiltskin and the merciless Mr. Gold.

"Let's go home," Belle says at length, somewhat lessening the spell between them. Ruby wouldn't have been surprised if Mr. Gold had just remained standing there with her, had Belle not spoken.

He nods his agreement, both of them heading for the exit. He opens the door for Belle, never letting go of her hand.

"Goodbye, Ruby," Belle says before they step outside. "I'll see you tomorrow!"

"Goodnight, Miss Lucas," Mr. Gold says, almost flooring Ruby by not only actually addressing her when leaving the diner, but also doing so in such a polite manner.

"Goodnight!" Ruby calls after them.

She's quite certain that they won't hear her; not because of the door falling closed behind them, but because they seem too lost in each other. Still, Mr. Gold is behaving outright civilly towards her and Ruby's not going to give him any reason to change that.

Watching Mr. Gold help Belle into his black Cadillac before driving off, Ruby sighs deeply as she slides into one of the booths. Happy as she is for her friend to be in such a loving relationship, she can't help but wish the same thing for herself.

According to Belle, that isn't as unlikely as it seems. But now that her friend and her contagious enthusiasm are gone, that's a lot more difficult to believe.

"Are you all right, Miss Lucas?"

Ruby stands up abruptly, turning towards the person the familiar voice belongs to.

"Archie!" she cries out, "I hadn't seen you!"

There he is, the very object of her thoughts, sitting in the opposite corner. As always, he's quiet and unassuming, clearly to the extent that she doesn't even notice him.

Thanks to Belle, that's going to change.

"I'm sorry, Miss Lucas, I... I didn't mean to startle you."

"No, _I'm_ sorry. I didn't realize you were still here."

"I know that it's quite late, but... I couldn't help but notice that Miss French seemed slightly upset. The two of you talked for a long time and..."

"Belle's perfectly fine," Ruby replies, touched by Archie's concern for her friend.

"I wasn't necessarily referring to Miss French. Please forgive me for saying so, but you look more upset than she did. Is there anything I can do for you?"

" _Oh_ ," she brings out, realizing what, or rather _who_ , he is referring to. She isn't used to this, to know a man who cares for her, but it already feels just as good as she imagined it would be. Maybe, _maybe_ , her friend was right after all. "Well, there might be _something_..."

Recalling Belle's encouraging words and taking a deep breath, Ruby heads straight for the wide-eyed, blushing man in the corner of the diner.


End file.
